Sunday, March 7, 2010

Habs vs. Ducks - Swimming In Circles Edition

Notes on the third:

-Halak really gave Spacek a ride. The old guy saw stars while he gasped for air.

-Sergei Kostitsyn looked like a bull moose in rutting season on that break. The only way Blake could stop him was by taking him down.

-I wonder if it's possible to reprogram Habs forwards to shoot the puck? Maybe if they have drill after drill of nothing but shooting it'll become muscle memory and they'll start doing it in games.

-If a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, the Habs are only as strong as Ben Maxwell. Uh oh.

-Markov is really pretty out of it. You'd think Halak nailed him rather than Spacek.

-I hate it when they dump the puck in, then weakly bat at it when it's time to retrieve it. What's the point of lugging it through the neutral zone, only to hand it over without a protest?

-Okay, ten minutes to go in the third and an early rise for me. Hiller's playing really well and I'm not expecting the impotent Habs offence to bury two just to get it to OT. So, that's it for me. Maybe I'll wake up tomorrow to find they pulled off a point, but I'm not expecting it. If that makes me a disloyal fan, then too bad.


Notes on the second:

-I think there should be a Habs drinking song, and the chorus should be "Aaaaaannnnd Spacek misses the net."

-You know the defence is having a bad night when Chipchura is wheeling around them, and we all know Chipchura's wheels came off Fred Flinstone's car.

-From a buddy who can't believe people quibble about Halak's rebounds: "Price doesn't give up rebounds because the first shot goes in." Not nice, but made me laugh. Through my tears.

-Plekanec got some mojo back with that empty netter last night. Great to see him cash a breakaway at last. Nice pass by Gorges too.

-If Koivu was a food, he'd be spicy wings. Hal Gill would be a big bowl of custard.

-They managed to stanch the bleeding at least. Now I have to give them the third.


Notes on the first:

-Saku just looks...wrong...in a Ducks sweater.

-Hiller is an Olympic goalie and looks it. Price is not an Olympic goalie and he looks it too.

-Speaking of which, whatever excuses you use, it comes down to Halak winning games and Price not. Sometimes the goalie has to be the best guy on the ice. Price isn't that guy a lot of the time.

-Habs look as worn out as a pair of WWII nylons.

-I hope whatever is wrong with Markov isn't permanent.

-What a backbreaker that third goal was for an already-brokeback team.

-The internal debate now is whether I should give up and go to bed or stick around for another period. Maybe I'll compromise on the first ten minutes.

20 comments:

Hank M. said...

Honestly, (aside from Gill) I'm the most frustrated with Hammer's defense right now. I know he's older and is playing heavy minutes, but the last two games he has completely failed to put any pressure on the other team. He just backs up and lets the player make his move. Stop that, I say!

Unknown said...

MARKOV! Wow.

Pete said...

Always wait till the end....

Unknown said...

And Plekanec! I can't believe it. Too bad you couldn't stay up. Maybe there's hope for them yet.

Ben said...

Dude, I feel sorry for you tonight. Can't wait to read your thoughts when you find out tomorrow!

AL said...

I nearly went to bed halfway through, but opted to sit it out... And, boy was it worth it!

I know we have been saying this for weeks (months?), but Jaro has to be the #1 goalie.

LoupDogg said...

Oh the irony.

DKerr said...

JT,

Tell me you stayed up for this one. Gionta with just under 2 and Markov with 10 ticks - reminds me of a game in Buffalo a couple of years back where Pleks scored twice in the last 3 minutes and Higgins in OT. The Gionta SO goal just barely made it. Then to pick Pleks (0 for forever) and he was money!

Maybe it looked uglier on TV then what I get over the radio (internet). Hope is more inherent over the radio airwaves then what your eyes can see.

Larry said...

You should have stayed up to watch J.T. Not many of these joyful outcomes this year. IT was sweet. You missed a major cheap shot on Markov as well.

Unknown said...

When I opened the page, after the game, I was hoping to see you make it through the whole game.

It's very unfortunate that you didn't, and what a shocker to you to find out that we actually pulled it off, with Markov being a major piece too!

Great recap nonetheless.

Propwash said...

Well J.T....we won...

Jean-Louis said...

HAHAHA J.T. not a point but 2. You must be a stronger believer in your team !

Anonymous said...

@ JT: I don't blame you for going to bed, it's not worth feeling like crap all day, so don't feel bad.... but what a comeback! I hope you recorded the game to watch the last two minutes. Moore deserves a lot of credit for the second goal. Halak was great as well. I can't believe Markov was taunting Perry after the tying goal, funny stuff.

This could be the turning point in the season. I don't like the other teams having 3 games at hand though, so hopefully it will balance out soon so that we can see where the Habs really are in the standings.

I had almost forgot about the whole "Captain" fiasco in Montreal this year until I saw Saku again tonight. Why haven't the Habs chosen a Captain yet? Why would a team that prides itself on history and legacy depart from such a tradition as having a team Captain? Any thoughts JT?

Anonymous said...

Well, the joke's on you! You missed a truly rousing, gutsy comeback. Oh, well.

Anonymous said...

Uh-oh. You should've stayed up!!!!!!!!!!!!

HC said...

You missed a great finish, J.T. After a crappy 58 minutes, the Habs remembered that all the games from here on are must-wins. And they won. You are not a disloyal fan. Nobody expected what happened in the last minute and fifty seconds. Or O/T. Or the S/O. Sometimes the unexpected happens, not to mention the improbable: a great ending to a horrible game. Go Habs Go!

Anonymous said...

you misted a nice finish. but that will not happen anymore:-) keep your nice work

Woopy said...

Uh oh. You missed something!

Markov AND Gionta for Captain.

Anonymous said...

ohhh no!! JT you went to bed!?

HabsProf said...

Disloyal fan!!!!

Sorry, I just couldn't help myself. Of course, I live on the west coast, so it's easy for me to stay up and watch to the (in this case) not-so-bitter end.